Three Kiwis Climb Mount Triglav

From boys to men, hiking the Kmra Valley route to the summit of Slovenia's highest mountain.

I had been thinking about Mount Triglav since early 2021, Slovenia's highest mountain, located in the Julian Alps, one of the most picturesque areas of Europe. This summer I had to do it and both Marcus and Dom were keen to join.

Only two weeks before our trip I ended up getting Covid. It hit me hard and I ended up getting headaches and fatigue which dragged on longer than expected. I considered pulling out, however with some peer pressure and ill-founded bravado I went against doctor's advice and flew over.

After a good flight from Luton, we landed in Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia. It was a modern airport surrounded by mountains. Stepping into 30C sun I was excited for the first boys trip in Europe for a while! We jumped in a 45minute shuttle ride to Lake Bled, our home for the next few days. Its a gorgeous adventure destination with the main attraction being a pristine freshwater lake with a church in the middle. Arriving to a postcard type view made us feel like we were instantly on holiday. We spent the next few hours checking into our Hostel, having food, and diving into the warm lake for an evening swim. An ideal first day.

Day 2 started early. A 5am wake up, quick shower, and then into the 4WD with the Hostel Manager, Colleen, who had kindly agreed to drive us the 45minutes to the starting point of Mount Triglav – Krma Valley. There is nothing like being in nature and seeing the sunrise over mountains in the distance. It was one of the most beautiful views I’d seen, and got us even more motivated for the day ahead.

The Krma Valley route is 19km out and back, starting in a lush forrest passing through sprawling meadows and vegetation. The first half of the hike was peaceful with only a few other hikers around and cooler temperatures in the low 20s. It was a consistent uphill gradient and I was keeping an eye on my heart rate to make sure my body was okay this soon after having Covid. Blocking out any doubts we set a good pace and by 8am we were heading out of the forrest and into rockier terrain. The tracks were mostly well marked however we took an accidental ‘detour’ up some semi-loose rock and had to scramble to relocate the track. Marcus also cut open his shin, but thankfully could keep going. We joked that any hiking detour is just a metaphor for the journey of life, all part of the experience. We kept pushing up the mountain. It only got harder from there, with steeper slopes, more exposure, and the sun beating down on us. We climbed through the first few via ferrata’s (iron paths) and 1.5 hours later we made it to the Krederica Hut. Drenched in sweat with tired legs we sat down to rehydrate and eat some food.

The Krederica Hut sits around 2,500m in altitude and is 400m below the Triglav Summit. As we looked up at the big rocky peaks above we quickly realised it was not a simple hike. In the distance we could see people climbing near vertical exposed rock faces, traversing up the mountain. As three laid back Kiwi’s we had failed to read about this part the night before. However with some positive encouragement from locals and 3 sets of hired harnesses and helmets we decided to give it a crack.

Still feeling tired and in 30C heat, the next part was a physical and mental challenge. For an hour we methodically made our way up the via ferrata. This involved either holding or clipping on to the steel wire, while stepping up along the narrow path cut into the side of the mountain. Dom was in his element and got the new nickname the Mountain Goat, Marcus did well, and I was focused on one step at a time. After some self-doubts, a few brief rests, and a lot more sweat, we made the summit. As is tradition in Slovenia, you only become a man once you get whipped by Bircher branches (in our case a harness) at the top of Mount Triglav. Dom and Marcus naturally enjoyed this part too much – nothing like a bit of extra punishment to cap off the climb.

We stayed on the summit for around 20 minutes taking in the views at 2,864m, before starting our descent back to the Krederica Hut. When we reached the hut I had a huge sense of relief, knowing that the hardest part of the day was over. For the next hour we ate pasta, drank cokes, had a beer, and planned the route down. We decided to go the same way that we came up, to avoid more via ferrata's or risk getting lost. On the way I arranged for Colleen to pick us up, but her schedule meant we needed to be there by 5pm. This meant jogging the second half of the descent (5km) to reach her in time. Its safe to say that when we reached the car park we were exhausted. 10.5 hours, 2000m of elevation gain, over 19km of hiking. On the way back to the hostel we stopped at a small bar in the countryside for a celebratory beer and recounted the hike, still on a high.

For me there is an innate sense of achievement when reaching the top of a mountain. It requires persistent physical effort, a mix of cardio and strength, while pushing myself mentally when I start to hurt. I conquer the summit but along the way appreciate the beauty of nature and the company I am with. In this case the Julian Alps were magnificent and Dom and Marcus were excellent company.

We were staying in a 5-bed dorm in the hostel. It was comfortable enough and a short walk to the lake, which was the centre of the action in ‘Lake Bled’. When we arrived back we showered, ate and passed out for an early night and much needed sleep. The next morning we decided to go to a spa and sauna for recovery. We found a flash place within one of the lakeside hotels and it did not disappoint. We were a bit unsure of the etiquette after being given a small white sheet to wear inside. However we quickly realised it was a mixed facility where it was custom to be naked in the pools and saunas. It had half a dozen Finnish and Turkish sauna rooms along with a cold plunge and hot pool. We spent a couple of hours alternating between them, until the body and mind felt calm. I’ll certainly remember the experience, especially the view of the lake from one of the Saunas and rubbing salt over the body in the Turkish Sauna.

The other highlight of the day was a night out. It started with some drinking games at the hostel with a few others and ended up with a mix of holiday goers and locals at a pumping bar. We made a few friends during the night and there was a lot of drinking, dancing, and recounting stories from Triglav. Dom even got the DJ to play our trip theme song ‘Where are you now’ by Lost Frequencies.

The final day and a half we spent around and in the lake. The weather was perfect and the water was ideal for swimming. We rented a small wooden row boat which we took out to the little island with the Church. We had a quick walk around it and I decided to swim back. It was about 600m and I needed a couple of short rests in between my freestyle. Nevertheless, I felt quite good considering a few days earlier I had fatigue and headaches. On the last day Dom went for an early morning run and Marcus and myself hired mountain bikes for a 2-hour ride around the area. As soon as we headed away from the lake we encountered small towns with holiday chalets, lush fields and a river. Half way we grabbed a soft drink, where the bar tender spoke no English and didn’t look thrilled to see us. These are the little things I find interesting when traveling because you get to see glimpses into how other people live and interact. Overall it was the perfect last day, doing another outdoor activity to complete what was my favourite European holiday to date.

When we got back to the hostel, we showered and packed up our gear before parting ways. Dom and Marcus off to Split (Croatia) and myself back home to London.

We arrived as boys and left as men.